Upon letting the thorns formed from her twisted hands tore the piece of paper. Selina recalled the dream she had this morning.
That dream had a horrible sight of the three members of the family that welcomed her with warmth. The Heath family.
Although the matter is currently under investigation by the Nighthawks. Selina wanted to examine the dream as well.
From what Old Neil had taught during one of his lessons in the company of Klein. Dreams are a product of one's own astral body wandering the astral world.
At that time, this quickly led her to conclude that the mysterious dreamworld had a sort of connection with the astral world that it constantly guided her to that specific dream.
Old Neil had also hinted that dreams being taken by the astral body may also been byproducts resulted from one's subconsciousness. It acts as a sort of a map that constantly interacts with the Spirit World and one's spirit body.
This causes a variety of dreams to have objects that gave emotional mark on a person appearing in it. Dream divinations are performed in such a similar way that one's astral projection roams the spirit world for revelations.
And since revelations are made in such a way, beyonders who are abundant in spirituality, experiences this have more impact than a normal person.
For the subconscious part. Her ability to replicate a person's visage using the dreamworld may have been using this aspect of her.
With all this in mind. Selina drew a faint breath and pictured the dream she had that morning.
At first, the world seemed to exhibit indifference. Nothing was simmering from the endless expanse of tall grass.
However, just after Selina had completed the whole recollection, most specifically the Heath family's faces. The world unfolded.
The sky turned dark. The willow-like tree grew limp and wilted. The tall grass fields reverted to the vile soil.
She saw the ground began molding around her, each coalescing into bricks and metals that the world was not able to to do before.
Selina once tried to picture and project an area of the Tingen City she had seen, but it failed.
Perhaps it was the human's work that conflicts the presence of nature. However, at the same time, she was able to sculp a human child, which contradicts this initial point.
Now it's clear that what hindered her attempt wasn't a matter of symbolizing nature but the scale it requires.
The molded ground shaped around her into solid bricks. A dirt formed stairs ascending on the side while chains erupted from the ceiling, melting into three hanging individuals that bore the Heath family's faces.
Darkness engulfed her vision, and a series of candles began lighting up.
Amid her tensed nerves, Selina looked around.
She confirmed that this was the exact same dream from the last. The Heath family suspended on a ritual!
The only difference was their face, bearing nothing but melted organs.
Her body perked up and she tried inspecting the scene from where she stood. Seeing if she could find that mysterious black figure.
It hasn't been long when Selina's body suddenly froze.
She saw the altar. A pole made of wood carved with a human face and a falcon spreading its wings. The whole sculpture was painted with primary colors.
And at the corner, forming a puddle of blood. Her body, her face and hair laid lifeless onto the cold floor.
Selina felt fear and dread that what depicted her was a corpse. She failed to see this side of the dream!
Then, a hand appeared next to her resting body. It was formed from dense, dark emerald light, frozen in its place.
Slow but progressive breathing echoed across the dark basement. The lady's composure wavered as her hands lost their position.
To see herself lifeless body before an altar is a reflection of her time in Milo. A cold apprehension stirred within her mind.
Did she not escaped? How long will she be subjected to a fate of rituals?
"Alright... Calm down... "Selina fought the anxiety looming in her heart.
Her hand rose and intertwined on her chest.
After exactly twenty seconds. A cold breath escaped her rosy lips, finally stabilizing her emotions.
Regaining the placidity of her mind, she lifted her gaze to inspect the frozen scene.
Once again, the flickering candles present a harrowing scene, almost out of murder case.
"This must be what Klein saw as well... It won't matter much if I report this to Captain." she muttered.
Although she wanted to walk over, take a closer look at the black figure. The seamless blending of her body in this dream and the world binds her in one place.
The best she could do was observe the surrounding.
"Klein should already be in the case... Let's wait for any results from him." a silent faith from Selina planted itself to their team's Seer.
Regarding this Seer's abilities. It doesn't have to be tested to know the scale, his achievements expressed themselves for him.
On another note. Selina never really received an overall knowledge about divinations.
This inadvertently let her anxiety subsided. Now, with the matter entrusted to others, her focus slowly shifted.
Right at this moment. What she thought the dreamworld is unable to do had apparently displayed itself before her.
The ability to replicate her dream's structure or for specific aspect, her subconscious mind.
Her knowledge in this field of heart and mind lacked considerably. However, knowing little about dreams are almost and always associates with the mind.
Selina recovered her earlier poise and looked at the dark basement.
Suddenly, light formed from the crevices of the bricks. Each of the walls then melted into organs that reverted to the soil.
The green, golden meadow reformed again.
Today, she saw a coachman steering a public carriage, a constant sight whenever she returns to Blackthorn Company and back.
Her distance from the coachmen each time she boarded was only but an arm's length. That is if it was a trackless carriage.
One by one, the vile soil made up of organs coalesced into wheels, a sculpture of a horse and the carriage itself standing on a concrete street and finally one human by the steers.
The man's face was gaunt. His limbs frail and his body clothed with simple double-layered jacket and long pants, reflecting his status as a working class.
Seeing this, Selina creased her brows.
For comparison, she willed yet another carriage, this time it was public kind with different people seated as passengers.
This time, they all had faces melting into their skin. All except an old woman clad in a coat with tattered sewn lines.
"I see..." Selina said dismissively in a hushed tone.
"In any scene there could only be one person out of them who would bore a face. The rest are filtered out... This can be very useful if I want someone in a single place for close inspection. I wonder if I can make more people have faces appear in the future."
Selina observed the surrounding and chose to dismiss the public carriage.
The wooden transport reverted back into the soil as nauseating organs compiling it collapses to join the floor.
One of each occasionally vanishes and reappears, signaling that the person corresponding to them awoke at some point and returned back to sleep.
In the dead of night. Selina woke up with a disheveled hair.
The discontinuation of her sleep had became a daily occurrence for her that she began setting up a routine before going back to rest.
That was to check up on the black cat, review what had happened in her visit of the dreamworld then burning the written paper afterward and finally drink a glass of milk.
Selina found the quietness tranquil. But the dream she had just in the morning brought uneasiness to each of her steps.
She sighed and quickly paced toward the end of the hallway.
From there, she saw the black cat, sleeping soundly at its place.
"Hopefully that is just a dream..." Selina muttered, trying not to disrupt the silent feline.
Her hand lightly caressed the cat's head before she retracted it toward the drawers and onto the wall lamp right next to .
In the remainder of her time, she wrote and detailed today's events narratively, just like how she read her books in the past.
After finishing her reflection. Selina stayed a bit longer on the chair while gazing at the suspended crimson moon.
She turned and smiled at the sleeping black cat.
"Goodnight Falacy", she whispered.
Upon turning around, her slender fingers opened the metallic lamp and burnt the paper using its flame.
She watched as each of the paper's former whiteness dissipates into ashes before switching it off and leave.
...
As the morning prepares the day's immense toil.
Clamorous chattering of merchants and vendors flocked the passageway. People strode about, dressed in robes or usual attires mingling on the path in a bustle.
Selina, dressed in a very conservative brown trench coat, compressed her arms on her body and carefully maneuvered the venue.
Despite it being only morning. She saw that people strictly visit the underground market at such a day, perhaps aiming to take advantage of the day's early hours for the item's qualities.
During one of her reflections. Selina knew that although her key to gain the ability to defend herself was through her connections with her faction by a method of sacrifice and bestowment ritual. She figured that relying onto one source would result her being too dependent.
In her consideration, after knowing the inner workings of an Apothecary through the documents Old Neil gave. She had figured that during this sequence, preparation is crucial. Concocting potions that helps in combat requires sufficient time and management when engaged in confrontations, combat can be classified in many ways and not all battles are chance encounters.
As long as she managed her time, preparing specialized potions and analyzing opportunities to use them. An Apothecary could very well handle themselves in battle and eliminate an opponent.
Knowledge is power and it manifests in how she could concoct a variety of potions that are advantageous to situations. This is how Selina pictures her pathway, reflecting her capability of managing and gracefulness.
However, these preparations always starts at gathering materials.
As for the ones she applied for, Selina saw them as the agency's utility, strictly meant not only for herself during operations but also for them.
To consistently have a few potions for personal use. She have to rely on herself.
And not only that, she also plans to complete the materials for the sacrificial ritual site today, as soon as possible.
These includes a bag of fertile soil, full stalk of flowers with leaves each with varied colors, and any wood to organize the cross.
Prerequisites and complementary ones were also included. Though it never crossed her to consider them.
Selina patted the wallet in her coat and strode forward.
In the path that was wide enough to accommodate multiple pedestrians. She walked in a linear direction up to an intersection.
Relying on her knowledge gained from Old Neil from the last time she visited. She didn't hesitate to turn left.
After maneuvering every merchant's beckoning. She stopped at a store that was half inside a tent.
There were dangling necklaces with gemstones attached to their focal piece. A few vials were also noteworthy, along with candles and effigies, all are displayed for the customers to browse.
Selina saw some hanging herbs at the corner. Some looked like flowers while one particular caught her attention.
She pointed for the seller to notice and asked, "What species of flower is that?"
Referring to the flower with a golden thin petals, erected from its bud. It was complete with a green stalk and leaves as it hung from the basket it rest.
"That?" The merchant with a scruffy, white beard and wrinkled eyes looked at the flower. "That's called Suncrown. I heard it's quite effective in rituals concerning the siphoning of the sun. Priests of the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun makes daily demand of this flower!"
"How did you get one then?" asked Selina curiously.
"Merchants don't divulge their methods of acquiring their goods that easily", the man, appearing to be in his fifties, scuffed.
Selina didn't thought of it much. However, instead of buying it right away, she raised an arm and thought for a moment.
In doing so, she secretly activated her Spirit Vision.
Colors encompassing the body's ether body and a piece of the Spirit World emerged from her sight.
She casted her gaze toward the flower. The golden petal was radiating with spirituality.
To determine if an herb or a plant can still be used. Certain characteristics from its appearance can gave away hints to its condition such as the wrinkling of its leaves, the dryness of their sap and essence as well as the obvious, albeit small, wilting. All are evidences in knowing their effectiveness.
However, with the advantage of Spirit Vision. By examining their spirituality is enough to conclude the plant's condition. This really shows the clear gap between a human and a beyonder.
Luckily I'm one of them... Selina sighed that the flower was indeed capable for rituals. Immediately, she asked:
"How much for one?"
"Ten pence." The man answered simply.
Seems like a reasonable price for something that's on demand... Selina withdrew her hand and fetched three soli from her wallet and handed it.